I approached this book with some skeptcism because the cover blurb compared it to C.S.Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, but to my pleased surprise the comparison was not inapt; I'd say the ideas owed something to Lewis (and in fact Lewis was Blamire's tutor at Oxford), but the writing was indeed somewhat reminiscent of Chesterton. This is Blamire's take on the afterlife. Not quite as well handled as The Great Divorce (which in turn wasn't quite up to La Divina Comedia) but undoubtedly worth an afternoon's reading time. A bit more of a straight allegory than either of the other two. Sometimes I thought the author had almost too much fun writing it. The acronymic organizations made me, if not literally laugh out loud, snort quietly. The ideas about what in life is of ultimate importance and where our attention should be directed were utterly serious and worth thinking on. ( )

A skillfully done and thought-provoking allegory. ( )

Plot Summary: What happens, When & Where, Central Characters, Major Conflicts
A man--Bernard--falls asleep (or does he die?) while under the care of a nurse. He awakens in a strange town called Old Hertham. There he encounters people familiar to him--but who have died. One is a sort of real estate agent to urges him to get on the waiting list for a home in New Town--because Old Hertham is build on faulty soil that is eroding and every home in it is condemned and not to be rebuilt. But to get a house in New Town Bernard needs references and forms and to wait. So in the meantime he stays with Eve--a former girlfriend--and her daughter Marie. There he learns not everyone is keen on the idea of New Town--some oppose it and wish to fight for the preservation of the homes in Old Hertham.






Style Characterisics: Pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.
This is definitely an allegory. Told in a dry, English, "old-fashioned" style. The plot is not very compelling. Bernard is kind of a bland character, as is the story.


How Good is it?
Blah ( )